1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a splash guard; and, more particularly, to a reinforced splash guard for vehicles and for other applications.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As a vehicle travels on a roadway, rotation of the vehicle wheels can cause the wheels to throw water, ice, snow, mud, sand, rocks or other materials from the roadway. Such materials can be directed outwardly from the vehicle in various directions, and can produce annoying or dangerous conditions.
Splash guards are known and have been developed in an effort to reduce the splashing and spraying of liquids or slush or the like and the throwing of sand and rocks or the like from moving vehicles. Typically, splash guards hang down from the vehicle behind the vehicle wheels in order to catch the liquid, slush, rocks, etc. thrown by the wheels and to deflect the materials downwardly onto the roadway.
Usually, a splash guard is supported from a structure of the vehicle by a plurality of bolts, commonly four bolts, that extend through attachment holes formed adjacent the upper edge of the splash guard. Over a period of time, however, the splash guard tends to fatigue and weaken, particularly around the area of the attachment holes; and this can cause the splash guard to tear away from the bolts. Besides requiring replacement, the damaged splash guard can tear completely away from the vehicle while the vehicle is in use creating a significant risk of damage or injury.
Another problem that often occurs with many known splash guard designs is commonly referred to in the art as “sailing”. Sailing is the tendency of a splash guard to swing or flap rearwardly during forward movement of the vehicle; and can result in uncovering at least part of the wheel, thus allowing liquid, slush, rocks, etc. to be thrown rearwardly from the vehicle without obstruction.
Efforts to reduce sailing of a splash guard often involve affixing rigid backing materials on the splash guard or inserting stiffening members in cavities formed by rolling the splash guard. These approaches, however, are generally not fully satisfactory because it is desirable that the splash guard retain sufficient flexiblity so as to be able to withstand impacts, cold temperatures or the like that can cause the splash guard to crack or break.
There is, accordingly, an important need for a splash guard for vehicles and for other applications that resists tearing or cracking; and that reduces the tendency of the splash guard to sail without excessively reducing the flexibility of the splash guard.